Rizzo’s
Nationals have long cast an envious eye to their neighbors to the
north, the Philadelphia Phillies. The Nats have been upset at the Philly
takeover of Nationals Park in recent seasons, going so far as to
designate last weekend’s series as “Take Back the Park” time.

Promotions
are one thing. Results are another. And after years of serving as the
National League East doormat, with the Phillies winning five straight
division titles, the Nats seem ready to challenge the veteran (OK,
possibly decaying) Phillies for the division title.

And the
Nats have been yapping like the annoying puppies they are,
baseball-wise. According to the unwritten code, someone was going to
pay. And on Sunday night, Phillies left-hander Cole Hamels targeted
phenom outfielder Bryce Harper.

Around here, that seems
blasphemous. Harper spent a good chunk of last summer on City Island
with the Harrisburg Senators, flashing some of the outrageous ability
that made him the No. 1 draft pick in 2010. He’s as talented a
19-year-old kid as the majors have seen in some time.

But he’s
still a kid, and he’s very capable of “look at me” moments that grizzled
veterans find off-putting. In a game last week, Harper demonstrably
flung his helmet off his head — displaying his mohawk haircut — as he
flew into second base for a double, a highlight that ESPN, which has a
huge man-crush on Harper, put into constant rotation.

That got noticed, and not in a good way, and Hamels consulted Ye Olde Book of The Baseball Code.

What
Hamels did to Harper has been going on forever — rookie makes waves,
veteran drills him, rookie takes medicine. Harper responded in the best
way, getting on base and eventually stealing home on Hamels. And Hamels
took his medicine, getting hit on the leg in his first at-bat.

Hamels
went off-script by telling the truth, which got him a five-game
suspension. But what he really did — and this is where Rizzo should have
kept his mouth shut — was legitimize the Nationals as a contender to
the Phillies’ throne.

If Harper and the Nats weren’t an issue
to the Phillies, then Hamels doesn’t place a fastball between the 3 and 4
on Harper’s back. But they are a threat, and Hamels did drill Harper.

Rizzo
can crow all he wants about Hamels being “chicken[bleep],” for which he
was rightly fined Tuesday by Major League Baseball. But he should write
Hamels a check, too. He gave the Nats what a 2-for-1 ticket deal and
“Natitude Park” banners could not — legitimacy.

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